Then those who feared the Lord spoke with each other, and the Lord listened to what they said.   ~Malachi 3:16 Isn't it delightful  to be with God's people?   Isn't it a treat to our spirit  to share in time and conversation with our Brothers and Sisters in Christ? Seek a sister-in-Christ out today, or book a breakfast with a brother-of-the-Lord.   It's so powerful  to be provided with the power-of-faith through those who also love the Lord, and we have to be purposeful in making it happen.   Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.  ~Philippians 2:1-2    ~~~     This weekend I am taking a few students (including one of my own!) to a retreat/training s...

I've been thinking about tomatoes a lot lately.  In our neck-of-the-woods, they are in season, and I wanted to preserve some for making spaghetti sauces and chili's down-the-line.  We grow tomatoes in our garden, and we've had a nice harvest, but not quite enough all-at-once for canning jar-fulls, and so I bought some tomatoes from a local stand. The tomatoes were ripe , which is exactly the type you need for canning, but as I perused the  abundant tomatoes at the stand, there were also asome that had been tainted by insects and disease , and those cannot be used for canning, because imperfections in fruit or vegetables will cause contamination and spoilage in the processing. For making canned or "stewed" tomatoes, (as our family calls them), you need unblemished tomatoes, and a lot of them, and that's what I got.  Many tomatoes were blanched, peeled, quartered, and then sprinkled with a little  bit of sugar and some salt, and stewed-up to boiling before bein...

I found this guy walking on the wall at work the other day.                              My usual practice with insects of any kind is the death penalty, and I don't feel a lick of remorse in sharing that with you.   Judge me if you like, but bugs belong outside in their domain, and not inside in mine . However, as I watched this delicate arachnid climb and rappel up and down the wall on an invisible string for a minute or two, I had the thought that perhaps I could take him outside and let him go free ...instead of crushing and then flushing him. In a moment of kindness, I gently cupped his tiny torso in a wad of toilet paper, and he stayed still in the two-ply softness as I made a bee-line to the front door of the office and then uncrumpled both him and paper to release him into the freedom of daylight. (Seemingly) stunned at my goodwill-deed, he stood still for a long minute, and then ...

If we have ever read (or watched the movie) "A Christmas Carol" by  Charles Dickens, then we are familiar with Ebenezer Scrooge, a wealthy and self-(only)-focused older man who lived most of his life serving (only) himself and accommodating (only) his   needs.   But one evening, as Ebenezer slept, he was visited by three ghosts, who chronicled his life and his heart.   When he wakes, Ebenezer realizes that he still has time to change his attitude, and to change his treatment of others, and to change  his heart.   And Ebenezer  wants  to. Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we (still) have time to do the same: Do we WANT to ? We may not have been visited by three  (past, present, and future) spirits last night, but the Lord God Almighty visits us through His Holy Bible today, and God gets specific about a few topics that must be important to Him, or He would not mention them.   And the Lord tells and teaches us His stance...

God loves us with the heart of a good and holy father who knows what is best for us, and who wants what is best for us. Sometimes the Lord comforts us when we are tired and worn out.  The Bible can speak words of comfort and affirmation and hope for us:  “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."  ~Matthew 11:28 Our God is our Heavenly Father, and just as our earthly father may have enforced our completion of chores, strengthened our work-ethic, or disciplined us in academics (studying)... Our Heavenly Father loves us with the heart of a good and Holy Father who knows what is best for us, and who seeks   to instill  what's best for us.  And so sometimes the Lord does not comfort us in our times-of-tired, or when we are weary.  Our Heavenly Father sometimes equips us to press on, or chides us to carry on , persevere, and even to "buck up".   God also has been known to use His Word (the Bible) to give us God...